When Theresa Graham took her dog for a walk along Australia’s Cairns Marina, she noticed something odd drifting on the surface of the water. A few orange “leaves” floated gently with the current — or so she thought.
Curious, Graham leaned in for a closer look. That’s when she realized the truth: the “leaves” were actually juvenile batfish — young sea creatures that have evolved an astonishing disguise.
“When they’re little, they look exactly like leaves,” Graham told The Dodo. “Even the way they move — just drifting slowly in the current — it’s incredible.”
Adult batfish are sleek and silver with dark vertical stripes, but when they’re young, they transform into perfect leaf mimics. Their coloring, shape, and even motion are designed to fool predators into thinking they’re just debris floating by.
Graham, who works in digital communications for Master Reef Guides, had seen photos and videos of these clever fish before — but spotting them in person was a dream come true.
When she finally spotted some floating amongst some sticks and actual leaves, she couldn’t look away.
“I was really mesmerized,” she said. “From most angles, you’d never guess they were alive. It’s such a smart way to blend in, especially in places like marinas and mangroves, where there are so many real leaves floating around.”
As she stood admiring the camouflaged fish, other passersby began to stare — not at the water, but at her.
“I think some people thought I was a bit crazy,” Graham laughed. “It really did look like I was filming leaves.”
Before long, curiosity got the best of everyone. A small crowd gathered around as Graham explained the secret of the “floating leaves.”
“It was a beautiful reminder of how curiosity and connection can bring people together,” she said.
Soon, those tiny batfish will shed their disguises, turning silver and heading out to deeper waters along the Great Barrier Reef. But for everyone who saw them that day, the memory of their perfect leaf trick will linger.
As one viewer commented on Graham’s TikTok, “Now I’ll be looking at every single leaf in the water.”
